recipe: chocolate tart

Because I've received such positive feedback about the cereal recipe, I've decided to release yet another jewel from the Todd family vault. We call them tarts. And yes, this also happens to be the term that my grandmother used to refer to flatulence. She refused to use the word "fart," so combining the words "toot" and "fart" was the obvious solution. Not that anyone in my family does that kind of thing anyway. Now... who's hungry?!

I'm going to warn you: this recipe requires a little more prep work. But trust me... it is worth the extra effort. Ok, let's get started.

First, open the box.

Next, take one of the foil-wrapped (I know... fancy, right?) packages from the box.

Then, unwrap the foil and place the tarts (there should be two) into the toaster.

Here comes the tricky part, and it's mostly a matter of personal preference. Some like their tarts a little more cooked and dark around the edges. If you're one of these people, then you might want to cook your tart longer. I would suggest doing a "practice run" to determine your ideal cooking time.

CAUTION: NEVER stick a fork in the toaster and move it around to see if the tarts are done. Just don't. Use bamboo tongs (notice I said TONGS, not THONGS). These are two simple mistakes that I've made before, but they are easily avoidable. I don't buy bamboo thongs anymore for this reason. They were uncomfortable anyway.

We prefer to make chocolate tarts around here, but the variations are endless. You can stick with the safe options, like blueberry, strawberry, raspberry or chocolate chip. But if you're really feeling dangerous, you can get crazy with flavors such as hot fudge sundae, s'mores and brown sugar cinnamon. All of these are delicious (I know because I've made them all).

Serving suggestions: a tall glass of milk is a must.

But if you're feeling extra fancy, you can always top it off with some Reddi-Wip. Always a classy touch.

This recipe is great for breakfast, lunch or dinner. It's also a great snack for a pick-me-up in the middle of class. Just be sure to leave the Reddi Wip at home (trust me, people will give you dirty looks if you break that out during a PowerPoint presentation). Hope you enjoy!